The Queensland government will impose a new levy on big business to generate an ongoing funding source for mental health services in the state, expected to deliver an annual windfall of $425 million within three years.
“We must have a sustainable funding model,” Treasurer Cameron Dick said of mental health support funding in his budget speech.The staged rollout of yet-to-be detailed mental health service beds — including for perinatal and eating disorders — 1400 new staff and capital investments through the program will form part of the state’s broader health budget, worth $23.6 billion in the coming financial year.
The budget papers include a new five-year plan for the sector with $1.64 billion in operating funding, slated for new mental health service beds — including for perinatal and eating disorders —and an extra $28.5 capital investment.